Original Copy of One of First Quran Translations into Turkish Found
Turkish theologian Necmi Atık said that he found the second original copy of Hamdi Yazır's translation of the Holy Quran, written in a more understandable and clear language, in the archives of a large library inherited by his grandson, Turk Press reported.
Atık, who lives in Antalya, contacted one of his relatives when he decided to get a doctorate on Hamdi Yazır's works. He then met with his grandson, Mehmet Hamdi Yazır, who lives in Istanbul, to examine the archives of his vast library, and he carefully cataloged the manuscripts, calligraphies, letters and poems one by one.
Atık also transferred these works to the digital environment during his work and, while researching and studying the works of Mehmet Hamdi Yazir, he came across the second original Turkish translation of the Holy Quran by Yazir, which is one of his most important translated works in Turkish.
After the establishment of the Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) in 1924, Mehmet Rifat was appointed as its head. After consultations, everyone suggested that Hamdi Yazir interpret the Quran and then Mehmet Akif Ersoy translate it into Turkish. At first, neither of the two was willing to do this and believed that it was a heavy task in which mistakes could not be tolerated, but then they agreed.
Mehmet Akif Ersoy went to Egypt in 1926 and then announced his withdrawal from writing the translation in 1931. The Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate asked Yazir, who was interpreting the Quran, to translate it into Turkish himself after Ersoy withdrew. He agreed to do this on the condition that the translation be published as soon as it was completed.
Explaining about the second original version of the Quran translation by Yazır in his own handwriting, Atiq says, “The second translation contains more understandable and clear language, but some words are not translated. For example, the names of Allah are not translated... The two last Juzes (parts 29 and 30) are also translated in an excellent style, and the entire translation is written in (a poetic form).”
Atiq points out that Yazır was constantly in contact with Diyanet during his work in the field of interpretation and translation. “I have gone through several stages of my doctoral thesis, and I found the second original version of the translation of the Holy Quran in his grandson’s archive, which is the result of Yazır’s eight years of study. I will soon present his works to the readers.”
Who is Yazır?
Mehmet Hamdi Yazır was born in 1878 in Almaly, a province of Antalya. His father, Sheikh Numan Efendi, was the clerk of the Sharia court in Almaly. His ancestors also had a strong background in Sharia sciences, so he grew up in a scholarly environment from a young age. His lineage also traces back to a branch of the Oghuz Turks.
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In 1895, he traveled to Istanbul, which was the center of science and the capital of the Ottoman Empire, with his uncle Mustafa Sarılar, and joined the Hagia Sophia School, and also attended classes with prominent scholars in various places. He excelled in the art of Arabic calligraphy and created very beautiful lines. He graduated from the school with honors in 1905, and then studied at the Maktabul Maştırım, which trained judges, and graduated with honors.
Yazır studied philosophy and excelled in it. He was also a great literate Turkish speaker and was also proficient in Arabic, Persian and French. He was fond of literature and composed poetry in three languages: Turkish, Arabic and Persian.
He taught at Bayezid School for two years and gave lessons at the School of Representatives, the School of Judges and other schools. He was elected as a representative of Antalya in the parliament and then became a member of the Islamic House of Wisdom in 1918 and later its president. He also served as Minister of Religious Endowments in the government of Ferid Pasha.
After the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey, Yazız was sentenced to death by the "Independence Court" and after being acquitted, he did not leave his house until 1942 when he passed away. He stayed at home for nearly 17 years and left behind beautiful memories and useful writings for posterity.
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